Backyard Gardening

Knowing that the transitions we will have to make as individuals, as a society, and as a globe, are great, I put together a few informational pages that I hope can foster those needed changes. If you are to tune into any alternative media outlet you will no doubt get the sense that the list of problems this country faces are great. I feel that one basic solution that is really quite powerful and cuts across the political spectrum is the act of growing your own food. In that vein, I have established some resources on reasons why we should be creating productive backyard, apartment complex, and urban gardens, as well as some project ideas for making those current and future gardens more intensive and productive.

I feel really strongly that we need to continue to pique people's interests in this area, as food independence is one of the most important goals anyone can achieve, not only for themselves, but as a society. This is because one backyard garden in a sea of suburban manicured lawns will not do much to improve the environment or serve as a social pressure release valve for economic instability or eroding freedoms. If we have a culture of empowered backyard and urban gardeners, however, we will see a shift toward a citizenry that is more unified, more proactive in their own lives and communities, more knowledgeable of the land and environment, more able to support themselves and their families, and more engaged and effective in the political sphere no matter what their beliefs. A neighborhood full of gardeners is more than the sum of its parts, in that the knowledge of each individual can lead to greater efficiencies, shared secrets, local barter economies, and neighborhood trust building. Take a look at these bumper stickers and consider them the beginning of a growing dialogue.